Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
On Monday, the Twins officially entered trade deadline season by sending right-handed pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak to the Detroit Tigers. In return, the Twins received a 19-year-old catcher who has yet to spend a day with a full-season affiliate. His name is Enrique Jimenez. He appeared in the Top 20 of Detroit Tigers’ top prospect rankings at Baseball America earlier this month, so it’s definitely worth doing some digging and learning some more about the newest member of the Twins organization.
BACKGROUND and STATS
Jiménez was born in Barcelona, Venezuela. He began working with a trainer when he was quite young. The Tigers were able to sign him on Jan. 15, 2023, for $1.25 million.
Evaluating kids when they are 14, 15, and 16 years old is hard, but he appeared on Top 40 and Top 50 international prospect lists. The scouts’ job is to watch 13- to 17-year-old players and try to determine what they will look like when they are 22 or 23. Physically, mentally, emotionally, these kids change a lot over a decade. So, the rankings always have to be taken with a grain of salt. However, those rankings are known, and MLB organizations make million-dollar decisions with them.
Jiménez ranked No. 32 by Baseball America and No. 23 by MLB Pipeline in the runup to his signing. Let’s compare that to where the 2023 Twins international signings ranked.
BA ranked Cuban outfielder Ariel Castro 13th. Shortstop-turned-pitcher Hendry Chivilli ranked 15th. Catcher Carlos Silva, also from Venezuela, ranked 23rd. Castro ranked No. 11 at MLB Pipeline. Silva ranked No. 31. Chivilli ranked No. 38. In addition, talented young pitchers Adrian Bohorquez and Miguel Cordero signed with that class.
This is really a good illustration of the difficulty that international signings present. Castro spent a season in the DSL and has spent the past two seasons in the FCL. Silva spent two summers in the DSL and came to the States this year to play in the FCL. Chivilli played one season of shortstop in the DSL and then a season in the FCL. He was moved to the mound and pitches for the FCL Twins in 2025.
Jiménez split the 2023 season between the Tigers’ two DSL teams. Combined, he hit .277/.388/.418, with 11 doubles, three triples and one home run in 46 games. In 2024, he came to the States and played 54 games in the FCL. He hit .242/.366/.376 with nine doubles, a triple, and three homers. It was a surprise to many that Jimenez remained in the FCL in 2025. In 48 games, he’s hit .250/.339/.440 with 10 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. Over his three professional seasons, he has made 78 starts behind the plate and 42 starts at first base. He also DH’d eight times.
SCOUTING REPORT
All of that is background that will help tell his life’s story. And there are stats, but as we have tried to say for the last two decades, the further a player is from the big leagues, the less important the stats are. Is the player growing physically, mentally, and emotionally? What are his tools? Is he continuing to improve upon them, to the point where those tools are now skills?
Don’t get me wrong. Jiménez’s stat lines have been just fine. They show, to some degree, where he is now as a player, but with four or five more years of development, what can he be? That’s where the scouting reports come in and become important. Of course, scouting reports are not a perfect science. Prospects’ progressions are rarely linear. Player development is a multifarious mystery.
Have I used enough disclaimers and cliches yet about prospects and scouting reports? Let’s get to Enrique Jiménez’s scouting report.
Jiménez stands about 5-foot-9, maybe 5-foot-10 according to some who have seen him live. He’s stocky, like a fire hydrant. He is strong and a good athlete (especially when the phrase “for a catcher” is added). That has allowed him to get time at first base, which means more at-bats.
A switch-hitter, Jimenez has pretty smooth swings from both sides. While he hasn’t had a lot of plate appearances against left-handers, he appears to have more power from the right side. To this point, he has not had much home-run power, but he is a line-drive hitter who could get a lot of doubles. His game power is likely to improve in time, with at-bats, and as he continues to gain strength. That said, it’s hard to envision him hitting more than 10-12 homers in a full season.
To this point, Jiménez has shown a very good eye at the plate. In his three pro seasons, his walk rates have been 14.1%, 15.3%, and 12.0%. At the same time, his strikeout rates have been 17.6%, 24.0%, and 21.9%. Jiménez is said to have a very good eye, and a contact-first swing. The lone concern is that, at times, he walks the line between patient and passive.
A quick look at his wOBA over his three seasons: they came in at .392, .362, and .376. Prefer wRC+? He’s been at 113, 110, and 119. Again, the numbers themselves are not what is important. However, the point that (over time) he could continue to put together quality plate appearances, get on base, and put the ball in play is supported by his performance so far.
Jimenez is not going to compete in Fastest Twins Prospect competitions. He’s not fast now, and he’s not likely going to get faster in time. That said, he could potentially get some sneaky steals. At this stage of his young career, the positives in his game come from his defense. Scouts rave about his footwork and blocking. His arm appears to be about average, but again, with his receiving skills and footwork, he has done a very nice job of controlling the running game. The last two seasons, he has thrown out 38% and 30% of would-be base runners.
Scouts, teammates, and coaches all like to talk about Jiménez’s high baseball IQ. It’s so important, especially for a catcher. They love how he calls a game, and how he works with pitchers to help them succeed. He was a key factor in the FCL Tigers winning the league championship in 2024 and making it to the playoffs again in 2025.
In addition, every single scouting report speaks about his high character and how it stands out at his young age. He is referred to as a great leader. There’s no doubt in my mind that was a big factor in the Twins’ decision to acquire Jiménez in the trade. It does lead one to further wonder why Detroit elected to have him repeat the Complex League, which is usually an extreme measure reserved for players whose games are especially raw or who aren’t mature enough to move into full-season baseball. It’s possible that, as a catcher, he was held back to spend more time shoring up his English and learning to do the ancillary, off-field jobs asked of that position in the modern game.
Summary Notes
While nothing about his stats jumps off the page, the general opinion around the scouting industry is that Jiménez has a high floor and is relatively likely to reach the big leagues. With his profile above, I can certainly agree with that.
I can’t stop thinking that Jiménez’s upside is probably Christian Vázquez. Similar height and build, strength, offensive profile, defensive profile, and intangibles: leadership, quality teammate, works well with pitchers, high baseball IQ.
Clearly, at this very young age, Jiménez’s strengths are more behind the plate than at the plate. That is the skill that will keep him moving up the organizational ladder. How will all of the tools play once the league goes to the electronic strike zone? Pitch framing is the only area that should be affected. Working with pitchers and calling a game will always be very important.
But I think that, like Vázquez, there is plenty of offensive potential for him to get to the big leagues. I think the odds are highest that he spends most of his big-league time as a backup catcher, but like Vázquez, he could have a few years where he becomes the primary backstop and contributes plenty at the bottom of the lineup.
MLB Pipeline ranked Jiménez as the Tigers’ No. 14 prospect. After the trade, he was moved to the Twins page, and they ranked him as the Twins’ No. 20 prospect. As I look through my personal Twins prospect rankings, I don’t think I would rank him any higher than 34-36, but I might be more attuned to many depth pieces in the Twins system than most.
While that may make one think that I don’t like the trade or the return, that just isn’t true. I do think that if he turns into Christian Vázquez, that’s a great return for two months of Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak.
What are your thoughts on Jiménez and his potential?